Final cuts revealed

Here is the list of the Buccaneers' final cuts in its entirety:

DE Charles Bennett, G Phil Bogle, DT Chris Bradwell, DE Patrick Chukwurah, WR Brian Clark, T Chris Clark, RB Kenneth Darby, G Chris Denman, TE Daniel Fells, CB Marcus Hamilton, CB Darrell Hunter, G Brian Johnson, WR Chad Lucas, DT Dre Moore, LB Ryan Nece, T Dennis Roland, QB Chris Simms, RB Clifton Smith, WR Micheal Spurlock and FB Carl Stewart.

Also, the team placed WR Cortez Hankton on injured reserve and released CB Sammy Davis from injured reserve, likely after reaching an injury settlement.

Here's what we can glean at first glance:

• For one, CB Elbert Mack made the team, making him the feel-good story of the year so far. Mack was an undrafted free agent from Troy who excelled in the preseason and will provide depth in the secondary and play on special teams. CB/S Eugene Wilson also made the cut as the Bucs elected to retain nine defensive backs.

• Obviously, in keeping rookie QB Josh Johnson, the Bucs have again decided to keep four quarterbacks, at least for now. Letting go of Johnson now would have exposed him to the rest of the league. Plus, practice squads won't be formed for a couple days.

• The Bucs will be particularly thin on the offensive line, where they kept just eight players. And that includes injured Davin Joseph (foot), who will miss at least several weeks after surgery. While he's out, the Bucs have just two offensive line backups: Anthony Davis and Dan Buenning.

• Keep in mind, someone will have to go in a couple weeks because tight end Jerramy Stevens does not yet count toward the 53. He was placed on the suspended list today and will begin serving his two-game NFL suspension in Week 1. When he is activated, the Bucs will have to make room for him on the roster. Unless they plan to keep four tight ends, Ben Troupe might be vulnerable.

• The Bucs kept five of their seven draft picks, with fourth-rounder Dre Moore being released and seventh-rounder Cory Boyd placed on injured reserve. Sixth-round pick Geno Hayes was a mild surprise, considering he was probably the seventh linebacker. The Bucs were thought to be leaning toward keeping six.

Comments

[Ben]

Mack made the team! Good call Brucie

[WILLEM]

AGREE WITH MOST OF THE CUTS, BUT STILL SAD TO SEE A CLASS ACT LIKE NECE GO, AND OUR RETURN HERO SPURLOCK. BUT NI EMOTIONS ARE INVOLVED DURING THE CUTS.

THANKS RYAN AND MICHAEL

[Steve]

Congrats E-Mack.

[Joey Harrington]

So... I hear you guys like QB's?

[Steve]

Would rather have Nece than Eugene Wilson.

[Jon]

Joey,

Yeah...I like QB's, if you know of any give them my number. Thanks.

[Michael "Run Michael Run" Spurlock]

Imma go dancin' with the stars like Sapp.

["Run Michael Run" Spurlock]

If they'd turn this roster around, I'd be a starter :(

[CDH]

So I guess Geno Hayes made the team???? That's a good thing!

[mike j]

I suspect the Bucs will pick up a vet offensive lineman, preferably a swingman, from the cuts, at least until Joseph is OK again.

[John Klopfer]

It is a shame to see Nece leave, he is a class act. I am sure he will contribute in a Lions uniform. Spurlock, will probably be picked up somewhere...but isn't that big of a loss. I think Chris Simms may have been the best qb on the roster. What happens if he goes somewhere and becomes a probowl qb?

[David Batman Saunders]

Staff really messed up by letting Clifton go. His return ability is simply electrifying.

[Tony]

Simms finally gets put out of his misery...Good luck Chris

[DV]

I think Chris Simms may have been the best qb on the roster. What happens if he goes somewhere and becomes a probowl qb?

Posted by: John Klopfer

You aren't serious are you? He threw a pass into C Dan Buennings' head! Plus he's a sack machine. I hope you were joking...

[Jay]

DV, I don't know if that's really a fair assessment of Simms. To be honest, the only significant playing time he has had is during the pre-season, with the 2nd and 3rd string offensive line - people who will themselves be or have been cut. The truth is, unless you get him behind your starting line, you don't know precisely what he will be able to do.

I will tell you this - The Packers, Patriots, Cowboys, Dolphins, Giants, Bengals, and Vikings could all do with his services as a backup. The Ravens and Raiders could use him as a starter. I doubt Chris Simms is done as a player, and I wouldn't be suprised to see him flourish in another system.

[DV]

Jay- do you remember when Simms was a starter? He got sacked often because of a combination of poor mobility and inability to get through his reads quickly. Often times his passes were batted down by defensive lineman or deflected for interceptions due to his poor delivery mechanics. If he looks like a bad QB and smells like a bad QB, guess what? He makes a good backup QB, but I highly doubt he's any teams Super Bowl QB of the future.

[John P]

I doubt seriously the Bucs are going to be worse for having let Simms go. In the end that's all that matters - are you better or worse for keeping or dropping a player? There's no way they're any worse for releasing him.

The offensive line situation is more of a concern. If they lose another starter then I can't see Garcia not running for his life early and often.
I'd expect them to release a db (Wilson?) and sign an O-lineman soon.

[Jay]

DV - I remember it quite well. And the one thing that always struck me as odd was not that Simms played poorly (which he did on occasion) but that the playcalling was always so bad. Batted balls? The answer is 7 step drop or shotgun set - yet Gruden stuck with the 3 step quick outs to Pittman in the flat, or a 5 step drop with a porous line. I'm not making excuses for Simms, nor am I a Gruden hater, but let's spread some of the blame around. No WR's that could stretch the field, terrible and predictable playcalling, and an O-line that was so bad that it was replaced entirely in less than 2 seasons. Not a single lineman from that season is a starter now, do you wonder why?

There is a LONG distance between a decent QB, and a Franchise QB. I think Simms is decent - he's got a cannon for an arm, and can stroke the long ball like very few people in the league, and he's a lefty which always throws defenses off. We could list all his faults too, but let's be honest, even with all the warts he has, he's better than anyone playing behind Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning. Hell, he's probably better than Chad Pennington or whoever is QB in Baltimore this week.

[DR]

Are you guys serious? Shotgun or not, Simms has bad mechanics. It is ridiculous for a QB to have as many balls batted down as he has had and that throw was horrible. Flutie didn't have problems like that and he's 6 inches shorter than Simms. i hope the Cowboys don't waste time or money on Simms, it would be a waste. Simms doesn't deserve to nbe on the field for any team. He had his chance and he failed.
I feel bad for Josh Johnson right now. look at Grudens record, Johnson won't be developed into a NFL QB. He will be here and watch year after year, a 30 something old QB start. Hopefully Gruden won't be around much longer. A losing season this year should finish him.
I thought Clifton Smith played well enough to make the team. I guess having 4 QBs is more important than a special teams hustler.

[DV]

DR I agree on your assesment of Simms, and bringing up Flutie was a good point. There are simply no excuses for his poor mechanics. As far as Clifton Smith goes, I thought he was a lock to make the team as well. I'd get rid of Garcia to make a spot for him, at least Clifton wants to play here and doesn't diss the coach publicly. Imagine Clifton Smith and Dex Jackson both deep on kickoff returns?

[Bucs O-Line]

Sorry Chris - We love you. But we were tierd of getting hit in the back of the head.

[Tex Mex]

DR,

I saw you again in the donkey show last night. Its funny, Gruden was betting you would not make it through the night. That donkey was really rough on you.

Ouch!

[The Spleenless One]

Dear O-Line,

You would think that was unintentional, but it's actually on purpose. It's just the only way to get your attention when having to run for my life after the entire d-line barrels through that revolving door you call pass protection. I can still play without a spleen, but you guys will always suck.

[Tex Mex]

Neece is a loss. He does not make many huge plays but he does not make many mistakes either. That is key in cover 2 so his team mates can trust him and cover their area. He is more solid the Wilson or Hayes.

Smith will be on practice squad, otherwise Gruden just gave him a lot of advertising. If a back gos down he will be promoted.

Simms, well maybe he should go to the minor leagues and work on becoming a pitcher. He has a great sinker.

Spurlock was a one hot wonder and could not produce consistently. Not surpising at all.

Way to go Mack baby!

Clayton you made it by a thread.

I have not seen any really good recievers come onto the market to pick up, but many of the names I just do not know.

Definately pick up an O-line if we can.

[Tex Mex]

DR,

They found part of your rectum at the donkey show. Do you want it back?

[O-Line]

Spleenless One,

You did notice that revolving door does not revolve when Garcia or Griese is in the game, right? Hmmmm? Maybe you should have bought us lunch twice a week.

[Fido]

I thought Chuk would be on the wagon.

[Tex Mex]

DR,

Sorry, but they used your rectum to feed the swine. I think you will need to figure something else out.

[The Spleenless One]

Dear O-Line,

I think we got off on the wrong foot. See, it was you guys who got me the job in the first place by letting Griese get killed. So I guess I owe you a thank you. Garcia doesn't get sacked as much because he knows better than to sit still while you guys blow your assignments, and just he runs away as fast as he can.

But in all, I think we all know who got the best job out of all of us - Bruce Gradkowski.

[O-Line]

Spleenless One,

OK you are right. We really do suck. But I think we may suck less this year!!!

[Tex Mex]

DR,

The swine just got awfully sick. I have never seen pigs vomit like that. I saw your rectum crawl away, so there is still a chance you can get it back. I think it is homesick.

[DR's rectum]

Please do not take me back to DR. It is awful. He uses me to talk.

[DR]

Tex Mex, do you always laugh at your own stupidity? Are you an illegal immigrant with no education? You need to work on your spelling you ignorant moron. Go to comefy class, if you can afford it, because you're not even close to funny.

[DR]

Still can't find a reason why Gruden wants to hold on to 4 QBs again. A spot that could have been filled by Nece or Smith. DV, that would have been a nice combo on returns, but Gruden needs a clipboard guy (Griese), a marker holder guy (McCown), and the eraser guy (Johnson). Those are important positions to fill..I mean, nobody got hurt on the Bucs last year, right?

[DV]

My bad... I overlooked having to have an eraser guy for the clipboard. I figured the marker guy could do both, but apparently since Gruden had to dumb things down for people like Simms and Garcia, he had to even out the responsibilities to make things easier on everyone...

[shane]

Dear spleenless one,
How stupid do you have to be to not know that your offensive linemen are not your receivers? And if the are your receivers then you must wait until they have their heads turned around and their hands free of that 300+pound D-linemen so that they can actually catch the ball instead of throwing the ball at the back of his head. But then again you may just throw the ball so low that the Detroit Lions pick the ball off.

[The Spleenless One]

Dear Shane,

In case you didn't notice, those linemen are the only guys open. And I figure they can at least catch the ball a little better than Clayton.

[Grad]

At least I still have my spleen.

[DR's Rectum]

Sphlltttt!

[Tex Mex]

HeeeeeHaaaaaaw! Here Donkey, Here Donkey!

[O-Line]

Spleenless One!

My head hurts!

[O-Line]

Spleenless One!

My head hurts!

[Dilfer]

I'm the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be!

[Kurt in Charlotte]

Griese and McCown seemed to do just fine in the first two preseason games (no sacks) with revolving O-lineman. That's a tired argument that needs to be laid to rest. When someone does well against 3rd stingers, they say the same thing, so which is it? It is what it is; Simms sucks pretty darn badly. Get over it. I can't believe that DR still thinks we give a d@mn about what he thinks? All the cuts seemed appropriate. Nece basically has lost his job to Black and Hayward; no surprise here.

[Bruce]

Letting Ryan Nece go was a big mistake. As a Linebacker he could play and has played all 3 linebacker positions in their system. One pre-season when Brooks did't play, he played the SAM position as well as Brooks. He was also an outstanding Special Teams player and an exceptional role model for younger players. He is also a better person than he is athlete. Tampa"s loss will be Detroit's gain. Ryan "the Lion" will make an impact in the "Motor City". Best of luck to you Ryan. Typical Buc move, and I won't be surprised if the Bucs sign Michael Vick next year.